Mountain Air
by T'Liana
Summary: The Inuzukas moved to Kohona, Alaska, for a change of scenery. There, Kiba befriends Naruto, Gaara and Ino, and everything seems normal. Until his family is targeted by a serial killer who's after Naruto. KibaIno, GaaNaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Weak sunlight streaming through the open window woke Kiba. He blinked slowly and screwed his face up as if it would stop the barrage of light. He stretched and sat up, rubbing his face.

What time was it? A glance at his bedside table clock showed it was 7am which meant time to get up.

Kiba climbed out of bed and stretched, clad only in his black boxers. His room was small and reflected the look of the rest of his home: wooden beams lining the ceiling, wooden walls, stone floors and every bit of furniture was made of wood. He had small personal touches: a bearskin rug, a family photo hanging on the wall, a full bookshelf and a dog bed at the end of his bed.

The dog bed was never used though. Kiba glanced down at his bed and grinned at a little lump under the sheets. The lump wriggled and eventually whined. The boy chuckled and tossed the sheets back, revealing a white fluffy puppy. The puppy yapped and stood shakily on the bed, its tail wagging so fast it was almost invisible.

"Hey there boy!" Kiba scooped the puppy into his arms and rushed from the room making aeroplane noises. The puppy stuck its tongue out in enjoyment and barked. Kiba dodged past all the furniture in the living room until he arrived in the kitchen. His mother and sister were already there making breakfast.

"Morning sleepyhead," Tsume grinned. She wore checked chef pants, a plain white shirt and worn black shoes, which made sense because she was the head chef of the Hidden Leaf restaurant.

She ruffled his hair and he pouted and put Akamaru down. The puppy barked indignantly and licked Kiba's ankles. Kiba's sister, Hana, was just finishing her porridge. She was twenty-one and very pretty with glossy brown hair, high cheekbones and almond-shaped brown eyes. She wore black jeans, brown boots and a blue button-up shirt, over which she would wear a lab coat. Reason being: today was her first day as an apprentice veterinarian.

"You excited?" Kiba asked. He opened the cupboard and pulled out some cereal.

Hana's eyes shone. "You bet! I knew the degree would do me some good." She had a veterinarian degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks but hadn't found a place to work in that field. Then, when Tsume announced they were moving to Kohona and there was a vet there, she immediately placed a job application.

Kiba had grown up in Wiseman, a remote town in the centre of Alaska. Kohona was far to the north and not much bigger, set in a valley that was always snowed in, even in summer. Tsume bought a comfortable log cabin high up in the mountains, a thirty minute drive from the town. She said that houses in town were far too expensive for their limited budget and so the cabin was their best choice. Not that Kiba complained; the cabin was very cosy and he had plenty of space to roam around.

Tsume checked the clock and wolfed down her toast. "I have to be at work in forty-five minutes. Kiba, you'll be okay on your own again?"

"Yeah mum. I'm almost done that snow ski anyway."

Kiba filled Akamaru's bowl with meat and dry dog bits and the puppy immediately dug in. Kiba ate his own breakfast and watched his mother and sister rush around getting ready. They both kissed his cheek goodbye and left for work.

He looked down at Akamaru, who sat quietly waiting for Kiba to finish eating. Kiba grinned and stuffed the rest of the cereal in his mouth. He rushed to his room and pulled on his warmest clothes – hiking boots, thick jeans, a fur-trimmed jacket and a woollen beanie. Akamaru saw the clothes and thumped his tail against the ground.

 _Bark!_

Kiba went to a rack beside the front door and took a dog collar and secured it around Akamaru's neck. He then took the puppy outside and locked the door behind him.

"Time for morning walkies!"

The pair left the cabin behind and struck out into the snow. Their cabin was completely isolated from civilisation, completely surrounded by mountainous terrain, pine trees and foot-deep snow. The snow always seemed to be several feet deep up here, but Kiba didn't mind. It just made walks funnier because Akamaru tried to charge through the snow and always ended up disappearing. Sometimes Akamaru liked having the lead and not straying from his owner, but other days he strained against it until Kiba let him off.

Which is what Kiba did after about twenty minutes of listening to the puppy whine.

Akamaru immediately disappeared into the snow and Kiba kept one eye on him and the other eye scanned the immediate area. While there weren't any people nearby, there was always the chance of there being some wolves or other dangerous animals hanging about the cabin.

After a few minutes Akamaru stopped moving. Kiba grinned and scooped him from underneath the snow. The puppy flopped in his arms, exhausted from forcing his way through the snow. Kiba tucked Akamaru into his shirt and the puppy stuck his face over the collar, tongue lolling cheerfully. He laughed at the puppy's antics and surveyed the surrounding mountainside. Snow. Pine trees. The occasional animal tracks. The sky was such a light blue that it looked almost white. A frozen breeze wafted his way and he closed his eyes, enjoying the sting of cold. And… voices?

Voices carried with the wind. At least two people, maybe more. He hadn't seen anyone aside from his mother and sister in almost a month, given that that's how long the move took. He started towards the voices and a few moments later three people came into view, though they were dressed so warmly that he couldn't make them out.

"Cooee!" he called. They all lifted their heads, spotted him, and approached. Now that they were closer he could spot individual features.

One was a girl. A very pretty girl with pale skin, long white-blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Her cheeks were tinged pink with exercise. She wore thick boots, jeans, gloves and a jacket, and her beanie stuck out of her jacket pocket. Of the three, her backpack was the smallest.

The first boy was blonde too, but golden blonde, and blue-eyed, but baby blue. His skin was tanned and weathered, particularly in comparison to his two pale companions. He had three whisker marks on each cheek and they looked like scars. The boy wore thick hiking gear too as well as a Russian cap with the woollen flaps covering his ears. He grinned and waved cheerfully at Kiba.

The other boy was frighteningly pale with short red hair and huge grey bags underneath his green eyes. He had a Japanese kanji tattoo on his forehead that Kiba couldn't understand, and was clad in only jeans, boots and a long-sleeved shirt. His eyes scanned Kiba cautiously, which the newcomer understood. Sizing up the new guy to ascertain his threat level.

"Hey," Kiba greeted, "I'm Kiba. I moved here about a month ago."

"I'm Naruto," said the blonde boy. "And this is Gaara," he gestured to the redhead, "and Ino," and to the girl. "We're taking one last hiking trip before school starts." He spotted Akamaru. "Your dog is so cute!"

Kiba pulled Akamaru from inside his shirt and displayed him for the teenagers to pat. He _loved_ the attention and lapped it up like jelly.

"He's adorable," Ino cooed. Gaara also patted Akamaru, but hesitantly.

"You guys hungry?" Kiba asked. "My house is just over there."

"Are you a serial killer?" Gaara asked. Kiba chuckled and shook his head.

"No, just lonely. I haven't left the house for a month and it's driving me nuts. We've got hot chocolate and warm food."

"Yeah sure," Naruto said. "Let's go."

o.O.o

"This place is _nice_ ," Ino said, staring around at the thick wooden beams, stone walls and floors, animal skin carpets and rustic furniture. "I remember some crazy old dude used to live here and everyone said his house was like a dungeon. You've really fixed it up."

"Mostly my mum's work, but I'll let her know." Kiba put Akamaru on the couch and shed his fur-trimmed jacket. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the pantry. "So, what to do guys feel like? Toasted sandwiches? Instant noodles?"

"Noodles!" Naruto yelled. He and Ino had shed their jackets and now the trio sat on stools at the kitchen bench.

"A toasted sandwich please," Ino said. Kiba opened his mouth to ask what she'd like on it and she said, "Surprise me."

"I will just have a hot chocolate," Gaara said. Kiba got to work making four hot chocolates, a cup of instant noodles and a cheese and tomato toasted sandwich.

"Will you be at school on Monday?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Kiba replied. "I'm kinda nervous though. I've never been to an actual school before, mum has always home-schooled me. What's your school like?"

"Oh, it's great," Ino said. "The teachers are awesome and they make the subjects interesting. Well, there's always the whole thing going on with the populars-"

"The jerks," Naruto muttered.

"-but generally, the social atmosphere is good too. The three of us all hang out and just ignore that drama." Ino smiled sweetly and Kiba suddenly felt a bit warm. Without her jacket, he could see her upper figure and she was by far the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

"You can hang with us if you like," Naruto said. "The populars would eat you up."

"Who are the populars?"

Gaara answered this time, his face darkening further with each word. "They're a group of people who think they're above everyone else. They think that they are the best thing since sliced bread and that us lesser folks should worship at their feet. They are cruel and unforgiving to anyone who doesn't fit the bill."

"And believe me," Naruto said, "these kids don't know when they've crossed the line. They don't know the difference between a prank and actual cruelty. Take Gaara's first day for example. They took turns shoving his head down a toilet, even his own siblings. Or the way they've made fun of me my whole life and excluded me from everything."

"What about Ino? Id they shove her head down a toilet too?"

Ino snickered. "Like they'd try. No, I was once a popular." She raised her hands in defence. "I know, I was once cruel to those deemed 'losers'. But it's possible to change."

Kiba thought he understood it now. Populars were a big group of bullies who made sure no one stood up to them so they could get away with whatever they wanted. Anyone who wasn't a popular was a loser and losers were dirt. And the losers stuck together.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My supposed _friend_ Sakura was talking smack about Gaara and Naruto, you know, implying rude things about their friendship and such. I was in a bad mood that day. I snapped at her and told her to quit it because they might be nice guys." Ino snorted, but smiled once Kiba handed her a hot chocolate. "Thank you. Anyway, she got all offended and threatened to kick me out of the group and I was like 'go ahead' and she did and Naruto and Gaara heard what happened and we've been friends ever since."

"Yeah," Naruto said, accepting his hot chocolate too, "she's the pretty one. Now that we've got Ino they don't mess with us because her dad can ruin their lives."

"If you'd rather not get your head shoved down a toilet I'd recommend sitting with us," Gaara said. "High school is literally the worst place in the world."

"Socially," Ino said quickly. "Socially it's bad. But the education is great and the school likes to host hiking events and the teachers are awesome. All you have to do is ignore the other people and you'll have a blast."

Kiba nodded slowly. "I think I get it now. Okay, time to eat!"

He presented everyone's food and they dug in eagerly. After eating, Kiba lit the big log fire and the foursome sat on the floor around it to warm themselves. Akamaru, instead of cuddling up to Kiba, sniffed Naruto curiously and rested his head on the blonde's leg.

"Traitor," Kiba muttered. Naruto laughed and ruffled the puppy's fur.

"He's cute. So, you seem cool. You wanna hang out with us at school?"

"Really?" They barely knew him, but after the stories of all the other kids, any protection was welcome. "I'd really like that! Thank you. Any help figuring out how to actually do school would be great."

The three hikers left half and hour later so they could finish their hike and get home before dark. After they left, Kiba took Akamaru into the shed and the puppy napped while his owner tinkered with an old snow ski. He'd hoped to finish it before school started so he could have some fun on the mountainside, but alas it wasn't meant to be. One more afternoon on it and a jug of fuel and it should be right as rain.

Kiba worked on it until Tsume and Hana both came home from work at around the same time. He then went inside, listened to them talk about their day, and helped with dinner.

After hearing the stories about the other people at school, Kiba wasn't as excited to go. He'd never really thought about dealing with the other people, only the assignments. He guessed he'd just assumed that the people would be nice. At least he had three friends though. It was more than he'd ever had before.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

This was it. Kiba stood at the front gates of the school and stared at the collection of squat buildings. Covered in snow like they were, they looked like they belonged in a snow globe. And from this distance, the students loitering about could be statues. Oh wait, never mind. One of them moved.

"Kiba!"

The boy turned and saw Naruto and Gaara nearby. Waiting for him? No, most likely for Ino. Whatever the case, he rushed up to them and waved.

"Hey, it's good to see you again." Kiba covered his chortle at the sight of Naruto's Russian cap. It looked so funny on his head. He looked at Gaara, noting his lack of jumper. Wasn't he cold? Everyone else wore thick winterwear but Gaara wore just a long-sleeved shirt. He fixed Kiba with an unwavering stare. Slightly scary. But it was clear Gaara was just distrustful of strangers. Naruto was the complete opposite. He loved new people.

"Glad you made it," the blonde said. He held his hand up for a high-five which Kiba supplied. Gaara let out a long sigh.

"Another year begins," he groaned.

"Aw Gaara, it'll be fine!" Naruto nudged his friend. "There's more of us this year. Safety in numbers remember?" Gaara's face didn't shift from his morose expression. "He only comes to school because he worries about me," Naruto whispered to Kiba. Gaara flushed.

"I… that's not it. Every time I say something." It was refreshing to see the redhead blushing and uncomfortable. But it was nice to know he cared for Naruto. Kiba couldn't see how anyone could be mean to the approachable blonde.

"Hey there losers!" At the shout, the trio turned and smiles broke across Naruto and Kiba's faces.

"Hey yourself," Naruto chuckled as Ino approached them. "For a second I thought you were Sakura." Ino snorted.

"As if I have anything in common with that pink-haired sycophant anymore."

"Pink-haired?"

"Yes Kiba, pink-haired. She dyed it. Apparently, it's cool."

"She dyed it?" Ino looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Of course, what does dye… oh. Right. Home-schooled." She frowned at him. "Who's Brad Pitt?"

"Who?"

"Oh, you poor unfortunate soul…" She, Naruto and Gaara all shared a smile. "We have a lot to teach you. Come on, the bell's about to go."

o.O.o

Kiba sat with Ino in his first class of the day. Numeracy, taught by Iruka Umino.

"Everyone, welcome to your sophomore year," the teacher said. "I hope you had good holidays and are ready to get back into the swing of things."

"Not likely," someone called from the back of the class.

"Very funny Kankuro," Mr Umino said. "Now we have a new student with us. Kiba, would you like to come up and say a few things about yourself?"

"Sure." Kiba stood and moved to the front of the classroom. "Hi, I'm Kiba. My family just moved to Kohona." His jacket pulsed suddenly and he grinned and pulled a white ball of fluff out from his jacket. "This is Akamaru. He's four months old."

"Kiba!"

"Yes, Mr Umino?" The teacher's face read total disbelief.

"Kiba, you're not allowed animals at school."

"Oh. Really?"

"What a loser," someone snickered from the back. Mr Umino took Akamaru from Kiba and the puppy wriggled in his hands.

"I'm going to have to take him for the day. You can have him after school, but I don't want to see him here again."

"Yes, sir." Kiba ruffled Akamaru's head. "Sorry buddy, I'll see you in a few hours."

Mr Umino left the classroom with Akamaru and Kiba sat back down. Ino stared at him in shock.

"So… you had him in your jacket the whole time?"

"Yeah. He wanted to come."

"Hey," a boy said from the table behind theirs, "where did you come from? Caveman times?"

"Shut it Neji," Ino snapped. The boy chuckled and reached forward, stroking the back of Ino's neck. She smacked his hand away calmly, but Kiba saw anger flash across her face. He had to do something. He had to defend his friend.

"Leave her alone," he said, standing up. Neji put his hands up in mock-surrender.

"Ooh make me dog-boy." Neji stood but immediately saw he was outmatched. Kiba was much bigger than him. Others noticed it too.

"Neji, that's enough," said his tablemate, a boy with short black hair and black eyes. "Mr Umino will be back any moment. This punk isn't worth it anyway."

Neji glared and sat down. Kiba shrugged and did the same. Two seconds later Mr Umino came back into the classroom. He clapped his hands together and Kiba's first official class of his life began.

o.O.o

"Why do people hate Naruto and Gaara so much?" Kiba asked Ino on their way to lunch. She shook her head sadly.

"It's not a happy story. Naruto and Gaara both lost their parents at a young age. Before Naruto came here, his family were targeted by a serial killer. He made it out alive but his parents didn't. He came here to live with his godfather and for a while everyone thought he was just a new kid, but then they found out about his past and started avoiding him. I guess they're worried the killer might come back to finish the job and get rid of anyone close to him too."

"And Gaara? What happened to his parents?"

"Oh, it was just an accident when he was a baby, they're not why people hate him. He and his siblings lived with their uncle growing up and I remember Gaara was still very quiet back then. But his uncle was killed in a fight somewhere and a couple days later the guy who did it was found dead. There were no leads but people blamed Gaara anyway because he 'seemed the type' I guess. But Gaara didn't do it, that much I know. I'm just glad Naruto came to school not long after, otherwise who knows what would have happened to him."

"So, people like Neji actually fear them?"

"I guess so. Fear is a gateway to hate." They entered the cafeteria, grabbed a tray and packed it with food. Ino led him to a table in a back corner, the other having been taken up by a nerdy-looking boy and a girl with short hair. Kiba watched them for a second. They had some sort of cards and seemed to be playing a game.

"What's that they're playing?" he asked Ino.

"Yu-gi-oh I think. Those two are always playing it." She leant across the table and poke quietly, "They're the other rejects of the grade, just because they're shy. Everyone knows Shino as the weird bug boy and Hinata as Neji's little loser sister."

"She's related to Neji? Poor girl." Kiba opened a cup of yoghurt and began to stuff his face. Ino looked at him, blushed, and chowed down her salad. Kiba was… kinda cute. In an adorably clueless way.

Naruto and Gaara came over with trays heaped with meat and potato.

"You guys missed the best Literacy class!" Naruto exclaimed. "Mr Hatake actually sat there for a good ten minutes making spit balls and he shot them at Shikamaru because the lazy ass was asleep again."

"Turns out Kiba had Akamaru in his jacket the whole time," Ino said. "Mr Umino flipped when he found out and took Akamaru to the office for the day."

"I hope he's okay," Kiba lamented.

"Any run-ins with the populars yet?" Gaara asked. "They're usually pretty quick to attack any newbies."

"Some dude called Neji. He's that girl's cousin." Kiba gestured to Hinata. Gaara grinned at Ino.

"Giving him the backstories already?"

"Only yours." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and Naruto and Gaara fist-bumped.

"Thanks for that Ino," Naruto said. "It's darn awkward talking about my past to a stranger." He looked at Kiba. "Ino's the resident gossip. You want information? You go to her. She knows _everything_." He dragged out the last word in a spooky tone and waggled his fingers mysteriously. Kiba blinked.

"Uh, okay I will."

The atmosphere around their table was incredibly light all the way through lunch.

o.O.o

Kiba took Akamaru from Shizune, the office lady.

"I understand that it's not okay to bring animals to school," he said. Shizune nodded and shooed him away. Kiba all but ran from the office and made his way to the front gates. All the other students who were getting picked up were there and he joined the throng, waiting for Hana's white pick-up truck to pull up. Snow began falling lightly and Kiba tucked the puppy back in his shirt. Akamaru yawned and nuzzled against his owner's chest contently.

Hana pulled up and Kiba pushed through the crowd and jumped into the passenger's seat. He clipped on his seatbelt as she pulled away.

"So… how was your first day?" she asked. "C'mon, tell me all about it!"

"Well, I have three friends."

"Names? Gimme names!"

"Naruto, Gaara and Ino. They're really nice. They're the losers of the grade and they're helping me get used to school." He chuckled. "Um, so I didn't know we aren't allowed to bring animals to school and I kinda brought Akamaru. Mr Umino took him away for the day."

"Kiba! Of course you aren't!"

"Well I didn't know that," he defended. Hana shook her head and grinned.

"Mum won't be happy with you."

And she wasn't. Not one bit. Tsume and Hana subjected him to a long lecture about what was appropriate and what wasn't. He tuned most of it out, nodding politely here and there, thinking about his new friends. Even with all the rules and regulations that came with school, if they were there he'd go regardless.


	3. Chapter 3

Oddly enough, I didn't plan for this story to have any romance in it. I wanted it to be a tale about friendship. But somehow it slipped in and now there's a bit of romance.

And the pairings! I've never thought of KibaIno as a couple. I go for KibaHina and ChoIno if we're thinking heterosexual. But Kiba and Ino really like each other in this story, so I'm rolling with it. I'll update the story description. And also, I ship SasuNaru really hard but in this story GaaNaru really wants to happen. This story is messing with my usual ships but it's always good to experiment.

o.O.o

 **Chapter 3**

Three weeks into the first term, Naruto told Kiba that the school was holding a hiking event for anyone interested in traversing the surrounding valley overnight. He, Gaara and Ino always signed up for hiking events.

"Is there a prize?" Kiba asked.

"Nah," Naruto shook his head. "It's all for charity. You pay the entry fee, do the hike and have fun. You interested?"

"Hell yeah I am." Kiba clapped his hands together. "Where do I sign up?"

o.O.o

That weekend was the event. Kiba packed all his lightweight hiking gear into his backpack as well as food and Tsume drove him to the outskirts of town where he was supposed to meet his friends. Tsume walked him into the crowd and he kept an eye out for them.

"There, mum. Come on, I'll introduce you!" Kiba grabbed Tsume's hand and led her over to his three friends. Naruto waved and jumped up and down.

"Hi Kiba! Hi Kiba's mum!"

"That's Ms Inuzuka to you," Tsume said, but she smiled warmly nonetheless. Ino stepped forward and held out her hand.

"Good morning Ms Inuzuka, I'm Ino. It's a pleasure to meet you." As they shook hands, Tsume looked at Kiba and mouthed _'SO. CUTE.'_ Kiba blushed. Ino, as Tsume wasn't the most subtle person, blushed too.

"I'm Gaara," the redhead said, holding out his hand too. Tsume shook it and nodded approval.

"And by process of elimination you must be Naruto," she said to the blonde boy. Naruto nodded and held out his fist. Tsume raised and eyebrow and fist-bumped him.

"You better believe it!" Naruto said. "Ms Inuzuka, you should be real proud of Kiba. He's a cool guy."

"A bit clueless," Ino added, "but cool too."

"Don't I know it." Tsume hugged her son and whispered, "I like these kids Kiba. You did good."

"Thanks mum." He smiled and hugged her back.

"Now you be safe and don't stray from the group. If anyone's mean to you, just give them the good old Inuzuka charm."

"Sic them," Kiba replied. Tsume lifted his beanie and kissed his forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Love you!"

"Love you mum!" Kiba waved as his mother disappeared through the crowd. Naruto clapped and laughed.

"Kiba your mum is so _cool_!" he said. "Sic them oh my god…" The foursome laughed at that and fell into easy chatter while they waited for the hike to begin.

Kiba couldn't help but think about what Ino had told him about Naruto and Gaara. How both boys had lost _both_ their parents… Kiba couldn't imagine his life without his mother. His father had died in a logging incident when Kiba was a boy and he missed him but still. Did Naruto witness his parents murder? Did he hear it? What would that do to a kid? What kind of monster was Kyuubi? And Gaara. Losing his parents, and then his sole carer, and being accused like he was. It hurt Kiba's heart to think that these boys, who had been through so much, got so much smack from all the other kids. The preppy ones with two parents who had never had a single hardship in their lives, and they thought they were better than 'losers' like Naruto and Gaara.

His gaze switched to Ino and warmth filled him. She had to be something truly amazing to turn her back on the norms she'd grown up with. To suddenly turn around and defend two boys who hadn't done anything wrong. To reject the status quo and accept the consequences. Girls like her, as far as Kiba knew, pretty girls who had everything going for them, they stuck with what they knew. They went with the crowd. Ino had such _confidence_ , such stability and he couldn't help but admire her.

He couldn't help but admire all three of them. They were so strong at sixteen. He could only hope that one day he would be just as strong, if not stronger.

Whoever was organising the event called for everyone to start moving. Naruto grabbed Kiba's sleeve, Ino grabbed Kiba's and Gaara grabbed Ino's hand. They didn't want to lose each other in the initial surge uphill. Once the pros forged ahead and the weaklings straggled behind they would have a much better time hiking at their own pace.

As they slowly forged on in a big group, Naruto's gloved hand snaked down Kiba's wrist to grab his hand. Kiba flushed slightly, glad he wore gloves, and glanced back at Ino.

"You got a good grip there?" he asked. She pouted.

"I can't feel anything in these gloves," she said. Kiba grinned and wrapped his gloved hand around her mitten-covered ones. Her smile was as bright as the snow and she pulled on Gaara's hand so he was level with her. The redhead couldn't help but smile. A smile looked good on him, Kiba thought.

Over the next hour the group thinned and the foursome could walk side by side comfortably. Ino watched as Kiba pulled a biscuit from his pocket, but instead of eating it he slid it down his shirt.

"Kiba…" she said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Is Akamaru in your shirt again?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." She wasn't sure what to say to that.

They had all day to get to the allocated camping spot, so they took their time stepping through the snow, sharing stories and laughter and stopping every now and again so Ino could take photos. With her cheeks flushed from the cold air and exercise, Kiba could barely keep his eyes off her.

When the sun was high in the sky they stopped and Naruto handed out sandwiches for everyone. Kiba unwrapped his and checked the filling.

"Beef? Hell yeah!" He stuffed it down his gob amidst laughter from the others. They'd done some pre-planning for the meals: Naruto would do lunch, Ino breakfast, Kiba dinner and Gaara snacks. After eating their sandwiches, they continued traversing the mountains, following the marked path, while munching on a bag of salted peanuts that Gaara passed around.

The sun was starting to sink when they reached the campsite. Most of the hikers were already there and had their tents and fires set up. The foursome found a clear spot and dropped their packs, knowing they'd have to walk further than everyone else to get firewood. Kiba had some thick, dry blocks of wood in his bag but they wouldn't be enough for the whole night. He left Akamaru with Ino at the campsite while he, Naruto and Gaara left to collect wood. By the time they'd foraged enough wood to last the night, the temperature had dropped several degrees. They rushed back to their site and found Ino sitting in front of two set-up tents, wrapped around Akamaru to warm the pup.

"Tents are up and sleeping bags are inside," she told them.

Naruto had brought flint and steel and he and Kiba got started shaving small bits of bark for tinder. Gaara arranged the whole wood set-up, with tinder at the bottom and the pieces of wood gradually getting larger as the pile got bigger. Naruto lit the tinder and the boys took turns blowing into the ember until flames started crackling and spreading across the pieces of wood.

Kiba pulled a container of pre-made soup from his pack and set it down. It would be an hour or so until the fire was hot enough to cook anything on. He tucked Akamaru inside his shirt and the pup promptly fell asleep.

The foursome sat there and watched the fire, hearing nothing but the crackle of the flames and the people closest to them talking softly amongst themselves. The temperature had dropped into the negatives but the fire warmed them. Naruto and Gaara constantly stood and turned in front of the fire to warm every part of them.

Once the fire was hot enough, Kiba banged the container against a metal pot and the soup fell inside. He set it on top of the fire and it was completely warm in ten minutes. They chowed down until there was no soup left and settled down around the fire, sighing contentedly. Ino took a moment to fill a jug with water and set it over the fire so they could make some tea.

Naruto reached into his pack and pulled out a packet of _Smarties_.

"Who wants to play _Never Have I Ever_?" he asked, grinning. The uneven firelight flickering across his face made him look more devilish than usual. His friends chorused their assent and he set the packet in front of him.

"So how do I play?" Kiba asked.

"Naruto will tell us something he's never done," Ino said, "and if we've done what he hasn't, we eat a smartie."

"Let's do a test question," Naruto said. "Gaara, you start." Gaara looked into the fire and hummed.

"Erm… never have I ever… cheated on a test."

Ino laughed and held up her hand.

"Guilty as charged," she said. Kiba nodded.

"I think I get it."

"Okay," Naruto said. "We'll move in a circle. That makes it your turn, Kiba."

"Oh. Okay. This is an easy one. Never have I ever done an assignment."

"That's cheating!" Naruto whined. But he ate a smartie anyway, as did Gaara and Ino.

"Fun fact," Ino told Kiba, "this game should really be played with shots of alcohol. But none of us drink. Oh! Never have I ever sculled soft drink." Naruto and Gaara ate a smartie.

"Never have I ever eaten yoghurt," Naruto said. Ino and Kiba both took a smartie, while Gaara wore a look of disgust on his face like he'd been told to eat worms.

"Never have I ever had sex," Gaara said. Kiba gasped.

"We can ask personal stuff like that?" he asked, looking at Naruto. The blonde nodded.

"As long as you haven't done it, you can say anything."

"What do you do if you haven't done it either?" Kiba continued.

"Then you don't take a smartie."

Everyone looked at each other, as if wondering if one of them had done it and was too chicken to admit it. Kiba had honestly never thought about it before. He looked at Naruto and Ino, his eyes settling on the girl. Both Naruto and Gaara looked at her too and she gaped at them.

"Hey! Why are you all looking at me?" she demanded. "I haven't done it! If I had, you'd know, but I haven't. So there." She crossed her arms and Kiba decided to steer the questions into friendlier territory.

"Never have I ever had detention," he said. The tense atmosphere melted away as the three of them took a smartie. Ino fixed Naruto and Gaara with a look of glee.

"Never have I ever kissed a boy," she said sweetly. The pair blushed and quickly took a smartie. Ino winked at Kiba. "They've kissed each other," she told him. He blushed.

"Never have I ever stayed up all night playing video games," Naruto said. Only Gaara took a smartie. He ate it and considered his question.

"Never have I ever driven a vehicle," said the redhead. To everyone's surprise, only Kiba took a smartie.

"Never have I ever left Alaska," he said. Naruto took a smartie.

"I came from Canada," he told the brunette.

The game continued until there were no smarties left. They then settled down with a cup of tea before going to bed. Most of the other hikers were already asleep, so they quietly drank their tea before going into their tents.

Kiba blushed. There were only two tents, as he and Gaara were the only ones who had one, and Naruto and Gaara were sharing one. That meant he was sharing with Ino. He'd never slept this close to a girl before, outside of family.

Naruto and Gaara climbed into their tent and, if their muttered conversation was anything to go by, they cuddled in their shared sleeping bag to trade body heat. Kiba looked at Ino, she looked at him, and they blushed. She went into the tent first and Kiba waited outside until she said he could come in. He crawled inside the low tent, zipped up the door, and saw Ino's light-blonde hair spilling from the top of her sleeping bag. He shed his heavy boots and thick jacket and climbed into his own sleeping bag. The material was cold against his skin and he lay there shivering, holding Akamaru to his chest, waiting for his body heat to warm up the inside.

He became aware of Ino shivering on the other side of the tent, her teeth chattering.

"Hey Kiba…" she whispered, "can you come closer?"

He gulped, but did as he was told; with Akamaru under one arm he dragged his thin mattress, pillow and sleeping bag over until he was right beside her. He heard her rummage around in her bag and pull out something. A blanket. She threw it over their sleeping bags and then dived back into hers, seeking warmth. Akamaru crawled out of Kiba's sleeping bag and climbed into Ino's. She giggled as the pup burrowed into her warmer sleeping bag.

"Do you want to unzip them?" Kiba asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Yeah."

They unzipped their sleeping bags and Kiba hesitantly moved closer to Ino. She turned away from him and shuffled back so that her body was pressed against his. He gasped at her warmth and swallowed. He slid one arm beneath her neck and draped the other one over her shoulders. She wrapped her hand around his forearm, the other one holding Akamaru against her chest, and sighed.

"That's better," she murmured. She chuckled. "Kiba, your heart's racing."

"Of course it is," he whispered back. He tucked hear head under his chin and breathed deeply. Her hair smelled like flowers. He rested his hand on Akamaru and the pup licked him sleepily.

o.O.o

The next morning, just after the sun rose, the four friends crawled out of their tents and relit the fire so Ino could prepare their breakfast of bacon and eggs. While she did that, the boys packed up the tents and sleeping gear.

After eating they joined the trickle of hikers heading back towards Kohona, the laughter and good conversation continuing. Naruto had more sandwiches for lunch but by the time they ate them it was more of an afternoon tea.

It was late afternoon when they arrived back in town. Naruto's godfather was there waiting and he took Naruto and Gaara home. The two boys bid goodbye to their friends, though they would be seeing each other tomorrow anyway, and left. Ino's father came moments later to pick up his daughter.

"Dad, this is Kiba. He's the newest addition to my friendship group. Kiba, this is my father, Inoichi."

"It's great to meet you, sir," Kiba said, holding out his gloved hand. "Your daughter has been really nice to me since I started school." Inoichi was the splitting image of his daughter with the same blonde hair and grey eyes. The only difference was his distinctly masculine features.

"You're all she talks about," Inoichi said, shaking his hand. Ino blushed. "I hope to see more of you around. Maybe I'll invite your family over for dinner sometime?"

"That sounds great!" Kiba grinned and waved at Ino. "I'll see you at school."

"See you." She waved back and left with her father.

Kiba waited for an hour for Tsume to arrive after she finished work. He told her all about the trip, but omitted the part where he cuddled with Ino.

That was a cherished memory he'd keep to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The bell rang signalling the end of school and the class filed out. The teacher, Mr Zabuza Momochi, held up his hand.

"Mr Inuzuka, please stay back a moment," he called. Kiba finished packing his bag and went over to Mr Momochi's desk.

"Yes, sir?"

"I seem to recall asking every student to bring their assignments to my desk at the beginning of class," the Humanities teacher said. "I also recall you not doing that. May I ask why?"

"I haven't finished it, sir."

"Are you aware that we have due dates? And that if you don't make those due dates then you incur academic penalties?"

"Penalties, sir?"

"Fail to hand in another assignment and I will fail you for the term. Once you fail it's very difficult to work your way back up."

"Oh. I didn't know it was that serious."

"Yes, I know. I'm aware you've been home-schooled, Mr Inuzuka, so you get one more chance. I'd like you to stay back today and complete your assignment. Once you've completed it and handed it to me, you're free to leave."

"Yes, sir."

Oh, he was going to cop it when he got home.

He sat back down at his desk and pulled out his Humanities book and the assignment sheet. He'd done most of the essay and just had the conclusion left as well as minor editing. He got to work and prayed that Hana wouldn't freak out when he didn't arrive at the clinic at the usual time.

She did freak out. When he didn't show up, she drove to the school and searched every classroom, eventually finding Kiba quietly doing his assignment under the supervision of Mr Momochi.

"Kiba, what's going on? Did you get detention?" she asked upon entering the classroom. Mr Momochi looked at her.

"You must be his guardian. Kiba failed to complete and hand in his first Humanities assignment, but as he has been previously home-schooled I'm giving him one chance to complete it and hand it in."

" _Kiba_!" Hana exclaimed. Her brother flushed and looked back down at his book, continuing to write. Hana sat to one side of the room and waited impatiently for him to finish. Mr Momochi remained at his desk, reading through some of the assignments that had already been handed in.

When Kiba finished hastily writing his assignment, he handed it in and Mr Momochi dismissed him.

"I will not be so lenient again, Mr Inuzuka," Mr Momochi said.

"Yes, sir."

Hana all but dragged Kiba from the room and, hair flying behind her, she sprinted through the snow to the entrance of the school where she'd parked her truck. Kiba followed nervously, climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. Hana slammed the driver's side door a split second later.

"Seat belt," she snapped. Kiba complied. She started the truck and pulled onto the road. They drove in silence, Kiba fidgeting and looking at his hands, until the urge to speak overcame him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't know they cracked down so hard on assignments."

"It better not happen again," Hana said. "Mum and I both want you to do well in school, and that means following the rules. I know it's hard to adjust, but you have to."

"No taking dogs to school or being late with assignments, got it."

"And that means homework too. Have you been doing your homework?"

"Yeah! Ino's been helping me a heap. She's really smart."

"Is this that pretty blonde girl mum told me about?"

"Yeah…" Kiba blushed and looked out the window. "She's cool."

"Ayame told me that Ino's dad used to be in the Navy. How cool is that?" But Kiba's mind only took one thing from that sentence.

"Who's Ayame?"

"Oh… she works at the Japanese restaurant near where I work." Hana blushed and Kiba saw his chance.

"Oho! I see what's going on here," he declared. "My big sister's got herself a _girlfriend_."

"Shut up!" Hana blushed harder and gripped the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles went white. "We're friends, okay."

"Yeah, _friends_." Kiba snickered and started making kissy faces.

"Kiba, you stop that right now or I'll tell mum the _real_ reason we're home late!"

That shut him up.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

…

"Fine. I'll shut up."

"Good boy." She used the same tone she did with her dogs and Kiba made a face.

"Don't use that tone," he said. "I'm sixteen, not a little kid anymore."

"I'll stop using that tone when you stop acting like a little kid," Hana told him. Kiba grumbled something unintelligible and leaned his head against the window.

They got home an hour later than usual. Tsume sat in the living room with a cup of tea, leg jiggling restlessly. She looked up as her children entered and her eyes narrowed.

"Explain," she snapped.

"I dropped one of Kiba's friends home after school," Hana lied smoothly. "Ino, the pretty one. Her dad invited us in for some biscuits and Kiba just couldn't say no."

" _Hana_ ," Kiba said, face slack with mortification. That sold the lie. Tsume nodded and smiled.

"Okay. But next time, text me. The roads are tricky and for all I know you could have been lying dead in a ditch somewhere."

"You don't have faith in my driving skills?" Hana pressed a hand to her heart. "You wound me."

"Oh, shut it." Tsume gulped down her tea and wandered over to the kitchen. "You two get cleaned up and do whatever homework you have to do. I'll get dinner ready."

"But… I don't have homework," Hana muttered, cheeks scarlet.

"She'll stop saying stuff like that when you stop acting like a little kid," Kiba whispered. Hana aimed her famous Inuzuka glare at him.

"You wanna repeat that, small fry?"

"No! No, I'm good." Kiba rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I dibs first shower!" He rushed for the bathroom.

"Get back here you mutt!"

o.O.o

That night it snowed heavily, blocking the road into town. Tsume and Hana couldn't get to work, therefore Kiba couldn't go to school. He thought it was awesome, except that Tsume made him sit down and do all his homework. And when that was done, he traipsed through the snow for a few hours with the dogs. He would have stayed out longer, but it started snowing again.

They were snowed in for three days. Kiba spent most of his time either in the garage putting the finishing touches onto his snow ski, or out in the snow with the dogs.

The sun broke through Friday morning and the snow had cleared by that evening. Then Kiba got a phone call. Hana answered the phone and went to the garage.

"Kiba, it's for you," she said, handing him the phone. Kiba wiped his hands on his overalls and took it.

"Hello?"

 _"_ _Hey, Kiba, it's Naruto. You been sick the last few days?"_

"Nah, snowed in. What's up?"

 _"_ _Oh, well, I'm having a video game sesh at my place tomorrow and was gonna invite you, but if you're snowed in…"_

"It cleared today. I can come tomorrow. Just let me ask my mum." Kiba went into the house and found his mother doing yoga. "Hey mum, can I please go to Naruto's place tomorrow?"

"Is it a sleepover?"

"Hey Naruto, is it a sleepover?"

 _"_ _Well, yeah."_

"Yeah, it's a sleepover."

"Well…" Tsume frowned. "I guess so. Yes. You can go. Hana can take you tomorrow morning and pick you up on Sunday."

"Thanks mum!" Kiba put the phone to his ear. "I can come!"

 _"_ _Awesome! I'll see you there!"_

"See you." Kiba hung up and put the phone back on the stand. "My first sleepover!" he punched the air and grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! And good luck to everyone facing the Boxing Day sales... you'll need it.

o.O.o

 **Chapter 5**

"Naruto, you've been acting really weird this whole time," Ino said. "Spill. What's up."

Naruto shifted from his position on the couch in the living room. Kiba, sitting on the floor, spun and stared at the blonde. He was curious about that too.

That morning Hana had dropped him off at Naruto's on her way to work. Gaara was already there and Ino arrived an hour later. They spent the day playing games and talking smack and, though Naruto smiled and laughed with them, there was something off about him. Kiba couldn't put his finger on it.

Now, with darkness reigning outside and Jiraiya having gone to bed, Ino was brave enough to broach the subject.

"You might think it's stupid but…" Naruto hesitated. Gaara, sitting beside him, took his hand and squeezed it. "I've seen someone watching me through my bedroom window and I… I think it's Kyuubi."

"That's not stupid," Ino assured him.

"Is that why you asked us here?" Kiba asked.

"Kinda…" Naruto looked at his lap. "I just… don't feel safe here with just Jiraiya. I haven't been sleeping and I'm just…" Only now did Kiba notice just how tired Naruto looked.

"You're safe," Gaara said softly. "You can sleep. We're here for you."

"Get some sleep, Naruto," Ino said. "I'll put on a movie." She put on a comedy and the foursome settled down to watch it. Naruto was asleep in the first ten minutes, his head in Gaara's lap. Gaara stroked his hair and looked at the others.

"We need to stay awake and see if it's Kyuubi or not," the redhead said. "If it is, we need to protect Naruto at all costs."

"What about the police?" Kiba asked.

"We can't trust them," Ino said. "Everyone here hates Naruto and would do jack-all to protect him."

"Right." Kiba nodded. "I'll take first watch."

As the movie played, Gaara and Ino settled down for some sleep. Kiba sat in a purposefully uncomfortable position, staring out the window. He forced aside the unease curdling in his belly. If his friend was in danger, he had to be certain. Naruto had been nothing but nice to him and he had to protect that ball of sunshine.

Two hours passed. The movie finished and Kiba turned off the television. His friends slept peacefully. The occasional passing car disturbed the silence.

Then he heard footsteps outside. He stood and, keeping to the shadows, crossed to the window. A figure stood outside, completely at ease in the open. Moonlight illuminated his smiling face and he stared straight at Kiba. Kiba's insides turned cold.

He woke Gaara and Ino.

"I think Kyuubi is outside," he whispered. Anger flashed across Gaara's face and he stood.

"Ino, you stay with Naruto. Kiba, let's go face his asshole."

Gaara led Kiba to the back door and the pair walked around the side of the house. Kyuubi stood where Kiba had last seen him, hands in his pockets and looking completely relaxed.

"Kyuubi," Gaara growled.

"Hi boys." Kyuubi's voice was a deep baritone. "Nice night for a stalk."

"What do you want?" Kiba asked. A pointless question, he knew, but if they could lower Kyuubi's guard just enough to catch him…

"You know what I want." Kyuubi sauntered over to the boys, still grinning. "I want to finish what I started." He stood in front of them. "And I don't care who gets in my way." He looked at Kiba, then Gaara, probably memorising what they looked like. "Have a good night." He turned to go, when Gaara moved.

The foolish redhead launched himself at Kyuubi, hoping to knock him off balance, but the killer spun and pressed his hand into Gaara's side. The boy gasped and froze.

"Don't do that again," Kyuubi hissed. He withdrew his hand and Kiba saw that he held a bloody knife. Kiba grabbed Gaara and Kyuubi fled into the darkness.

"That… bastard," Gaara grated. Kiba took his arm and helped the boy inside. Booth Gaara's hands pressed against his wound and they made a beeline for the bathroom. Ino joined them.

"What happe-Gaara!" She knelt beside him and pulled his hands away. "Sit on the bathtub. I'll sort this out." She pulled a First Aid kit from the bathroom cupboard and extracted needle and thread. "This will hurt."

Kiba covered Gaara's mouth with his hand while Ino stitched him up with an expert hand. He watched her work with fascination. The blonde often surprised him.

When she'd closed and cleaned his wound, she put the kit away and washed her hands. "Try not to move too much," she told the redhead. "It'll reopen."

"Thanks Ino," Gaara muttered. The trio made their way back to the living room, where Naruto still lay fast asleep on the couch. They settled down, exhausted, and sleep came quickly for Kiba.

o.O.o

"Why didn't you wake me?" Naruto demanded. "That creep was _right outside_ and you tried to grab him! What if he'd killed you? What'll I tell your sister?"

"But he didn't kill me," Gaara argued. "And we didn't want you to worry."

"Not worry?!"

"Naruto, calm down," Kiba said. "We can't afford to be angry at each other. If we split apart then Kyuubi has the upper hand. We wanna protect you."

"But he'll hurt you."

"He'll hurt _you_ ," Ino pointed out. "We're in this together. See Gaara? He'd take a bullet for you. We all would."

"Yeah, what she said," Kiba said. He and Ino shared a smile and Naruto lowered his hackles.

"I guess…"

"I'll stay with you until we take him down," Gaara said.

"I'll listen to the local gossip circles," Ino said.

"I'll scout the mountains and see if I can find any evidence of Kyuubi in the area," Kiba said. "I doubt he's hanging out in the city; someone might recognise him."

"The more remote the better," Ino agreed. "We'll find this bastard on our own. Then, when we've confirmed where he is, we can tell the police."

"They'll have to believe us," Gaara said. Tears shone in Naruto's eyes.

"You guys… bring it here."

Enveloped in a group hug with his three best friends, all felt right in the world for Kiba Inuzuka.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 ** _Two weeks later…_**

Kiba shut the front door behind him and shook snow from his jacket. Another mountain excursion with no luck. He'd scoured this half of the forest and found no sign of the elusive murderer.

Akamaru rushed up to him, yapping, and Kiba grinned and picked up the puppy.

"Where do you keep going?"

He looked up at the voice. Hana sat in the living room reading the newspaper.

"What do you mean?"

"You're spending a lot of time outdoors _without_ Akamaru. Are you meeting a friend? I've been covering you, but I want in. Where do you disappear to?"

"I… I can't tell you."

"That's bull." She folded the newspaper and stood. "You tell me this instant."

"Can I make a call?" Without waiting for her answer, Kiba crossed to the landline and dialled Naruto's number. His friend answered after two rings.

 _"_ _Hello?"_

"Hey, Naruto, it's Kiba. Can I tell Hana what's going on?"

 _"_ _Is she suspicious?"_

"Yeah. But I'm thinking, she's in town every day and she has a better chance of seeing him if he's hanging about there."

 _"_ _That… makes sense."_

"What would I see?" Hana crossed to the phone. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell her. Thanks dude."

 _"_ _All good. See you tomorrow."_

"See you." Kiba hung up. "Okay. Have you heard what happened to Naruto's parents?"

"Yeah, they were murdered, but the police caught the guy."

"The guy escaped and he's here. In Kohona. He's been stalking Naruto and he stabbed Gaara when we confronted him."

" _What_?! Why don't you call the police?"

"The police don't care about Naruto," Kiba snapped. "The four of us are trying to find where he's hiding and _then_ we'll call the police. If we have a location then they're more likely to believe us anyway."

"And you want me to help you look?"

"Yeah. Naruto's a great friend. We just wanna help him get some peace of mind." Kiba stroked Akamaru. "I've been scouring the mountains, but no luck so far. Gaara and Ino are looking too. Are you in?"

"I'm in. Naruto has been nothing but nice to you."

o.O.o

"Are you okay? You've been a bit… distracted."

Hana blinked and looked at the brunette sitting across from her. Her girlfriend, Ayame Ichiraku, cradled a coffee in her gloved hands and stared at her in concern. The front door to the café tinkled as it opened and Hana's eyes flicked to it out of habit. Black hair. Not Kyuubi.

"I don't know. I just feel a little on edge." Which wasn't technically a lie. Since Kiba told her about Kyuubi she'd felt uneasy going into town. It was worse when she was with Ayame. They'd only been together for a month. She didn't want to scare the girl off.

Ayame reached across the table and took her hand. "It's okay. It's a quiet town, nothing to worry about."

"I hope so." Hana glanced out the window absent-mindedly. Her eyes roamed the street across from the café and she froze.

There, on the sidewalk, stood a man that fitted Kiba's description perfectly. And he was looking right at her.

Hana whipped out her phone and tapped Naruto's name on her contact's list.

"Hana?"

 _"_ _Hi, you've reached Naru-tooooooo Uzumaki. I'm not here right now, but please leave a message at the beep!"_

"Naruto, it's Hana. I just saw Kyuubi outside the Garden Café. We're going back to my place."

"Hana, what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way." Hana glanced outside, but Kyuubi was gone. She ushered Ayame from the café and across the road to her truck. She started it up and skidded from the carpark without bothering to put her seatbelt on.

"Hana, you're scaring me."

"There's a serial killer in Kohona," she said. "He's after Naruto. And I just saw him watching us."

"But why would he want us?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances." She forestalled Ayame's next question. "Kiba and his friends are trying to find out where the guy is before reporting him to police because the police won't take them seriously."

"Makes sense," Ayame agreed. "A bunch of kids coming in with wild accusations about some serial killer. No one would believe them."

Hana turned up the road that would lead them out of town and to her home. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I just want you to be safe is all."

"That's okay. Anything to make this little town interesting." Ayame grinned and reached across to lace her fingers through Hana's. The girls shared a look and smiled, then returned their attention to the road.

"Jesus!" Hana slammed on the brakes. "Who's that?" She opened her door and climbed from the truck. A person lay splayed on the road, head turned away. Ayame clambered from the truck and the pair approached the unconscious figure.

"Hey, are you okay?" Ayame knelt beside them and rolled them over. Hana, standing behind her, paled. The figure smiled at them and held up a gun.

"Hi girls," Kyuubi said. "Can I get a lift?"

o.O.o

The bell for lunch rang and Kiba and Ino left Numeracy and joined the line in the cafeteria.

"Any luck with the gossip circles?" he asked.

"No one's talking about seeing a stranger around," she replied, moving along the line and grabbing some chicken. "My dad hasn't heard anything either. You?"

"Nothing in this side of the forest, and Hana hasn't seen anything yet." He picked up a container of yoghurt. "Every day that passes is another day he escapes us. It's really frustrating."

"You feel so powerless don't you." Ino smiled sympathetically. "I know, trust me. I want nothing more than to catch this bastard and put him behind bars again."

"But what if he escapes again?" The pair crossed to their usual table, where Naruto and Gaara already sat. "Obviously the prison people can't do their jobs properly."

They sat down and Naruto raised his phone to his ear, the voice ringing out for the entire table to hear.

 _You have one new message._

 _"_ _Naruto, it's Hana. I just saw Kyuubi outside the Garden Café. We're going back to my place."_

 _End of message._

The phone slipped from Naruto's finger and hit his tray. He fumbled for it, face pale, and immediately punched Hana's contact name. Kiba exchanged glances with Ino and Gaara and pushed his tray away. He had a feeling he wouldn't be eating his lunch.

"She picked up," Naruto breathed. "Hana? Hana, are you there?"

 _"_ _Hana is indisposed at the moment."_

Ice flooded Kiba's veins.

"She-what have you done with her?" he demanded, leaning close to the phone.

 _"_ _Nothing yet. Not to her or her little girlfriend."_

"What do you want?" Naruto was trying really hard to keep his voice from shaking.

 _"_ _I want you. In front of me. Preferably at the end of my gun. Ring me back when you're ready."_

"How do we know you haven't hurt them?" Kiba demanded.

 _"_ _You don't. I'll be waiting."_

Kyuubi hung up and Naruto's arm fell slack. The foursome stared at each other in shock and disbelief, unable to process how things had developed so quickly. Tears fell down Naruto's cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Kiba," he sobbed. "I put your family in danger. I dragged you into my own _stupid_ problems and-"

"Shut up Naruto!" Kiba snapped. "The only way you can apologise is to help me get Hana back."

"And her girlfriend," Ino interjected.

"And her girlfriend," Kiba amended. "We need to figure out what to do."

"I think you two," Gaara pointed at Naruto and Kiba, "should go in first and try to distract him, while Ino and I go and get the police."

"But we don't have a location," Naruto said.

"Not yet. But he wants you to go to him. That means he has to give you a location. He doesn't know how many people are listening into this conversation, right? Call him back and say you're giving up." He grinned. "This'll be just like a movie." He covered Naruto's hand with his own. "You can do this, I believe in you."

"Okay." Naruto drew a shaky breath and called Hana's phone. "H-hello?"

 _"_ _Ah, Naruto. A pleasure. Have you considered my proposal?"_

"Yeah." He swallowed. "I'll come to you. But Kiba is coming too."

 _"_ _And why should I allow this?"_

"You have his sister. I wanna make sure you keep up with your end of the bargain."

There was a long pause on the phone. Long enough for Kiba to start panicking. He reached across for the phone but Ino grabbed his hand and shook her head.

 _"_ _Alright. Come to the Yakushi hunting cabin. You have six hours, or the girls die."_

Kyuubi hung up and Naruto dropped the phone. Gaara scooped it up and put an arm around the trembling blonde boy.

"You did good," he said. "Real good. Ino and I will go to the police, okay? You and Kiba go wherever that is."

Ino whipped out her mobile and checked a map of the area. "Here," she pointed on the screen. "It's halfway between both ends of the valley."

"I can get us there," Kiba said. He clenched his hands. "Naruto, let's go get my sister."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Dude, you're gonna get us killed!"

"I know what I'm doing! Kinda."

"Kinda? _Kinda_?" Naruto gripped his seat tighter. "My life is in the hands of a moron."

"Oh, shut up," Kiba snapped. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter and they zoomed along the snow-covered trail. "It's not like I really know how to drive. But I know more than you."

Naruto closed his eyes and groaned. "If we die I hope Gaara and Ino say something nice at our funeral."

"We won't die. Look! We're here!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he cried in relief. Kiba's home appeared around the corner. He drove Jiraiya's ute right up to the house and parked outside. The boys leapt from the ute and Kiba fumbled with his house key. They burst inside and Kiba immediately began to run around collecting equipment. Akamaru barked in confusion and chased after him, getting tangled between Kiba's legs and sending him sprawling.

"Why do we need a snow pick?" Naruto asked.

"You never know," Kiba retorted. "Okay, GPS…" he scrambled to his feet and ran to his room. "Come on! I've got spare goggles and a jacket."

The boys pulled on long snow pants and thick jackets, Naruto's clothes a bit big for him because he was a good deal smaller than his brunette friend. Kiba ended up with a backpack of equipment and locked the door behind him as they left the house. He and Naruto went around the house to the shed and he pushed the door open.

"This is my little project," he said, pointing to a covered object. He pulled the canvas off the top to reveal a snow ski. "This'll get us to Kyuubi faster than anything." He jumped on the seat and fiddled with a few buttons. "Hop on."

Naruto climbed behind him and put his hands on the brunette's waist. Kiba switched on the snow ski and it roared to life. He zoomed out of the shed and skidded on the snow outside.

"Can you drive this thing?" Naruto demanded.

"There's a first time for everything."

"Oh my-Kiba, there's dogs following us!"

"They're Hana's dogs! They'll protect us." Kiba revved the engine and pressed the accelerator. The snow ski zoomed down the hill, the three Haimaru brothers chasing after them.

o.O.o

"We're here."

The sun was nearing the end of its downward arc when the Yakushi cabin came into sight. Kiba slowed the snow ski and parked a good distance from the cabin. Naruto got off first and Kiba followed, his legs trembling from disuse and anxiety. The three dogs approached them, sides heaving, and flanked the two boys.

"Pup, flank," Kiba ordered, drawing a circle with his hands. The dogs split apart and circled the house, hunkering down behind trees to stay hidden.

"What are they doing?"

"Flanking our position. They're ex-police dogs and Hana sometimes does drills with them so they don't forget their training." Kiba forged towards the cabin, a single goal in mind.

Save Hana.

Naruto rushed after him and they climbed the rickety steps onto the cabin's front porch. The blonde raised his hand and knocked. It hadn't been six hours yet. The girls would have to be okay. They _had_ to be.

The door opened.

Kiba stared down the barrel of a rifle.

"Ah, lovely to see you both. Inside, please, and wipe your shoes."

Naruto went first, wiping his feet, and Kiba did the same. Once in the dimness of the cabin, he looked around frantically. His shoulders lifted as he saw Hana and another girl tied up in the corner. They looked scared, but otherwise fine. He looked at the layout. A fireplace. Three windows with the shutters drawn.

"Let them all go," Naruto said to Kyuubi. "You have me. You promised to let them go."

"Did I?" Kyuubi tapped his chin. "I don't recall ever saying that I'd let them go if you came to me."

Ice ran through Kiba's veins. That was true. Naruto had just assumed Kyuubi would let them go if he came. But Kyuubi had never said that. He caught Hana's gaze across the cabin and her eyes were wide with horror, light from the fireplace distorting her face.

"But…" Naruto's face twisted in terror as he realised the truth. Kyuubi laughed.

"I thought I'd just get to kill _you_ , Naruto, but you've brought me another toy!" He pointed the rifle at them again. "Bag down, and sit beside the girls please."

Kiba dropped his backpack and he and Naruto sat back-to-back beside Hana and her girlfriend. Kyuubi tied Kiba's hands first, then Naruto's, obviously seeing Kiba as the bigger threat.

"You're a bastard," Hana spat. "You're a sick, twisted bastard."

"Sick, yes. Twisted, yes. Bastard, no. My parents were married." Kyuubi crossed to the fireplace and pulled a poker from within the flames. The tip glowed bright orange. He approached the four captives, a wicked grin on his face. "Well children-"

Someone knocked on the door.

Kyuubi froze, confusion written on his brow. "What-" He turned his gaze to Naruto. "You snitch."

"I'm not _that_ stupid," Naruto spat. Kyuubi swapped the poker for his gun and hauled Naruto up and used him as a body shield and approached the door.

So engrossed in the door, he failed to notice Kiba move behind him. The brunette wasn't tied as thoroughly as the girls and still had his feet free. Kiba grabbed the poker from where Kyuubi had discarded it, and stalked across the cabin to where Kyuubi was about to unlock the door.

Kyuubi pointed his gun at Naruto's head and reached for the doorhandle, when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He roared and spun to face Kiba, his grip on Naruto loosening, and the blonde jerked free and rolled on the ground.

"You!" Kyuubi pointed his rifle at the brunette, pure violence in his eyes.

Kiba whistled.

The three shuttered windows shattered under the impact of three huge dogs leaping through them. Kiba backed away a pace and the three dogs backed Kyuubi towards the door, growling and snapping their jaws. Kyuubi yanked the poker from his shoulder and swung it at the closest dog, roaring. The second dog leapt for him and fastened its jaws around the arm that held the gun. He dropped the gun, screaming, and Naruto jumped forward and grabbed the gun. Before Kyuubi or Kiba could move, he raised the gun and shot his parents killer in both legs.

"That's for my parents," Naruto hissed.

Shock flashed across Kyuubi's face. He hadn't predicted to be overpowered by two boys. He thought his plans would go off without a hitch.

For all his creepy stalking, he didn't know Naruto at all.

The Haimaru brothers regrouped around Hana and she whispered words of praise to them. Naruto side-stepped Kyuubi and pushed the door open, coming face-to-face with the entire sheriff's department, all of whom pointed their shotguns at the blonde.

"Officers, I can explain…"

o.O.o

When Kiba and Naruto walked out of questioning, Gaara and Ino immediately glompled them.

"What happened?" Gaara demanded.

The two boys explained what had happened: how they'd been tied up, but the sheriff's arrived and distracted Kyuubi enough for them to overpower him.

"He died of shock in the cabin," Naruto finished. "The medical team didn't get there in time. Then we were all brought here to testify and yeah." He laced his fingers with Gaara's and smiled. "He's gone. He won't bother us anymore. We're safe."

"Naruto, you… you idiot." Gaara shook his head, grabbed Naruto's shirt and pulled him into a kiss. The blonde _oomph_ 'ed and his eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly relaxed into the kiss. Kiba and Ino, arms still around each other from her furious hug, blushed and stepped away from each other. When the boys finally parted, Ino spoke.

"So will you get charged?" she asked. "I mean, you shot him."

"No, they're putting it under self-defence." Naruto suddenly looked exhausted. "I just wanna go home. And sleep for a week."

" _KIBA INUZUKA_!"

"Oh no." Kiba turned and was tackled by his mother. Tsume squeezed him so hard that he started choking.

"You don't get to make me worry like this!" she yelled into his ear. "You could've been hurt! Hana could've been hurt! Or killed! Then what?" She wailed in his ear and he patted her back and tried to speak comforting words.

"It's okay, I'm fine. We got the bad guy."

Tsume pulled away from him and smiled at his friends. "I'm sorry, but I'll be taking Kiba away from you right now. He'll see you at school."

"Bye guys." Kiba waved.

"Bye," they chorused.

Tsume pulled him from the station and into her truck.

"Where's Hana?" he asked.

"She and Ayame are at home waiting for you." Tsume put on her seatbelt and started the truck. "You're grounded for the next few days."

" _What_?!"

"Count your blessings I won't move us away from here."

"… Yes mother."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 ** _Two months later…_**

Kiba whistled.

"Akamaru!" The half-grown dog stopped in his tracks and turned back to glance at his human. "Here boy!" The cheerful inflection in Kiba's voice sent Akamaru racing back to him. Kiba knelt and ruffled his ears. "Good boy."

"Who's a good boy?" At Ino's voice, Akamaru switched humans, leaving Kiba gaping and betrayed.

"How dare you?" he gasped. Akamaru nuzzled in Ino's arms and licked her face. "I raised you, and you turn coat like _that_? You fiend!"

Behind Ino, Naruto snorted. "He just wants his fair share of Ino, and who can blame him?"

"Aw, thanks Naruto." Ino smiled at him, her eyes turning into half-moons. She opened them and winked at Gaara. "Careful there, I may just turn your boyfriend straight."

"Nah," Gaara said, lacing his fingers through the blond boy's. "He knows he's mine." Naruto kissed his cheek lovingly.

Since the events with Kyuubi, surprisingly little had changed in their lives. Kiba and Naruto both visited a counsellor weekly because of what they witnessed, but the counsellor had declared that they were fine and didn't need to meet with her anymore. Their last session was next week, and they looked forward to kissing those sessions goodbye.

"Ayame stayed over for the first time last night," Kiba said conversationally, standing.

"How did that go down?" Naruto asked. "Your mother's been really weird about people visiting."

"It's understandable," Ino said. "Y'know, after everything that's happened."

"Yeah, but she did okay. It was a little awkward having someone else at the dinner table." Kiba shrugged. "I didn't say much."

"As anyone who knows you would imagine," Gaara said. The foursome started walking again, up a mountain path behind Kiba's house that had shown itself since the snow started clearing with the arrival of Spring. Akamaru bounded ahead and nosed his way under a bundle of bushes.

"They're really cute together though," Ino said. "She makes really nice miso soup."

"That she does." While he didn't know Ayame that well, he had to admit that her cooking was sublime. That was probably the reason Tsume liked her so much. The Inuzuka matriarch loved her food.

The excitement was dying down now and Kohona was going back to being a quiet mountain town again. The teenagers had taken to retreating into the mountains where they could walk around without being judged by every single person they passed. Now that things were going back to normal, they could walk around town and not feel judged.

Gaara and Naruto swung their joined hands between them as they trudged uphill. Kiba, out front with Akamaru, didn't spare a glance behind him, and missed Ino glancing at his hand and blushing.

The four teenagers and the one dog continued hiking up the mountain trail, and for three beautiful hours they were the only people in the world.

o.O.o

 _Owari_


End file.
